By CDD Staff
Summer is winding down and it won’t be long before we all start feeling a hint of fall in the air. Perhaps the first place in South Carolina to experience that is Oconee State Park. Oconee County is our gateway to the southern Appalachians and Oconee State Park has all of the perks of a relaxing mountain getaway.
Those who value the outdoors will enjoy the state park campground with its rustic, CCC-era cabins and lake with a swimming hole, canoe rentals and fishing opportunities. Hikers can enjoy the wooded nature trails that wind through the foothills region and serve as the southern trailhead for the Foothills Trail, South Carolina’s 77-mile wilderness hike. The trail runs on the Blue Ridge Escarpment, a natural, steep drop-off or cliff zone where the high Blue Ridge Mountains meet the lower flat lands of the Piedmont. Make your fall plans to enjoy a weekend hiking the
By CDD Staff
There is not much time left to enjoy the Greenville County Museum of Art’s American Stories, a major exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. On view through September 27, the exhibition brings together 51 works drawn entirely from the museum’s permanent collection. By presenting works spanning more than two centuries, American Stories invites visitors to consider the layered and often complex narratives that shape the nation’s identity, offering space for reflection, conversation, and deeper understanding.
The admission is free and the museum is open on Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1-5 p.m.
Find the GCMA at 420 College St. in Greenville.
By CDD Staff
Sassafras Flower Farm welcomes visitors this Thursday evening for what they call “Flower Fest,” their late summer blooms and great burgers. They will also have music from Wilder Flower. Pick flowers all evening with no tickets required.
The event goes Aug. 27 from 5:30-8:30 p.m., and you may find all the action at 255 Alex Dr. in Easley.
By CDD Staff
Learn to make homemade milk & honey soap, shampoo bars, dish soap bars, laundry bars and more this Saturday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. at Set Apart Health in Mauldin. The $20 ticket includes gift and recipe guide.
Discover how to make rich, creamy soap with goat milk, coconut milk and golden honey using the hot process method — right in the Upstate. This isn’t just another soap class; they have been serving the community for more than 11 years at Set Apart Health.
Click here and get a two for one deal: https://shorturl.at/qmDrY.
By CDD Staff
This Saturday at two Greenville library spaces you will have the opportunity to take your youngsters to hear the Musicians of Breman. This is a story-based performance featuring the Greenville Symphony Orchestra’s woodwind quintet and Traysie Amick with the South Carolina Children’s Theatre.
The first presentation is 10-10:30 at Five Forks and the second is 11:30-12 at the Hughes Main Library. Click here for more details: https://www.greenvillelibrary.org/event-series/lollipops-concert.
By CDD Staff
When in Anderson, those keen for a tasty meal may very well wish to choose J Peters Grill & Bar. Our team hears good things about this operation.
The first J Peters restaurant was created in Anderson by founder Jon Angell and opened in 2010. From that day forward, they have grown such that they have locations throughout the Southeast with the vast majority in greater Myrtle Beach.
Their menu offers a wide range of choices that includes something for everyone.
Find them at 202 S. Main St. in Anderson.
By CDD and the Upstate Business Journal
The Bowater Building overlooking Falls Park in Greenville will soon become a new luxury hotel. Greenville-based Auro Hotels plans to turn the Bowater Building at 55 E. Camperdown Way into the first JW Marriott in South Carolina. The proposed 335-room hotel will be part of the Falls Park Conference District, which a major mixed-use development planned on the east side of the Reedy River.
The JW Marriott Greenville will be Auro Hotels’ single largest investment in the city to date. The hospitality management firm currently operates six hotels in Greenville. Dharmendra “DJ” Rama, president and CEO of Auro Hotels, said the company is proud to continue investing in the city that has served as its headquarters for more than 50 years.
“Great destinations attract great brands,” Rama said. “Greenville’s success has been built one thoughtful decision at a time. For more than 20 years, this community has made intentional investments in its downtown, its parks, its culture and its quality of life. We believe the arrival of South Carolina’s first JW Marriott reflects the destination Greenville has become.”
The Bowater Building was built in the early 1990s as the headquarters for Bowater Inc. Auro Hotels purchased the 2.4-acre property, which contains the four-story office building, adjacent parking garage and approximately one acre of open space, for a whopping $31.25 million in Dec. 2024. Prior to the sale, the city of Greenville considered relocating its City Hall to the Bowater Building.
Auro Hotels aims to preserve the original architecture of the Bowater Building but will incorporate JW Marriott’s European-inspired design aesthetic to create the new hotel. Design plans show that the hotel expects one seven-story tower and another five stories — both will be added to the western side of the building facing Falls Park.
The JW Marriott hotel brand features more than 130 hotels worldwide with around 35 in the United States. The new luxury hotel in Greenville will offer four food and beverage options including a market, a rooftop bar and restaurant, an all-day dining venue and a specialty restaurant. It will also have nearly 9,000 feet of indoor meeting and event space and outdoor terraces overlooking the Reedy River.
Renovations to the Bowater Building are expected to begin mid-2027, pending final approvals. The project is anticipated to take 18 to 24 months to complete. According to Auro Hotels, the hotel will employ approximately 175 associates upon opening.
By CDD Staff
Jocassee Valley Brewing Company hosts a variety of entertainment options throughout the last week of August and all of September. This Wednesday, Aug. 26 features the songwriters fest, and the Old Time Jam will be featured on Thursday, Aug. 27. Jocassee Valley Brewing Company is located at 3412 North Highway 11 in Salem. Come for the music and for the upcountry South Carolina mountain brewery; it is open for inside and outside consumption with live music and food trucks Friday and Saturday.
For more information click https://jocasseevalleybrewing.com.
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